French elegant home in Hartland dazzles with sophistication

While a sparkling swimming pool or a four-car garage might make a home luxurious, the beauty and opulence built into 2105 Woodsbury Place in Lexington are actually found in its details.

That’s what the homeowner Dr. Sandra Archer takes pride in. She and her husband, Dr. Sanford Archer, both Lexington physicians, built the home in 2004 on a little over an acre in the gated Hartland Estates. Sandra said her family outgrew the first house they built in Lexington, and she decided on Hartland because she and her husband simply loved the neighborhood.

“We wanted a place where my kids could go out and be safe, have a big yard where they could play soccer, baseball, kickball. Hartland is a great neighborhood for families,” she said.

Although the stunning mansion tucked into a private, woodsy drive was built for the family of six, it was also Sandra’s dream home, and she had a say in nearly every design and detail of the house.

After walking through a towering archway and through the double mahogany front doors, you’re standing in the foyer beneath a massive chandelier Sandra said originally hung in an old French castle. Above it is a faux finish of a blue sky full of clouds, hand-painted by artist Ann Little.

To the right is a dining area with a wall of mirrors, window treatments designed and created by the Archers with Italian fabrics, Bacarat chandeliers and another faux finished ceiling with a feather detail.

“I wanted the feathers to look like real feathers,” Sandra said. “I call (Ann Little) Michelangelina. She got on a scaffold and it took hours to paint.”

To the left is a two-story library that serves as her “husband’s abode,” with arched wooden bookshelves and a secret passageway behind one of the second-story bookshelves, which leads to the attic.

The walls throughout the home are made from a mixture of Venetian plaster, paint and marble dust called Venetian Gem – a finish that makes the walls resilient.

In the central living room is a granite fireplace that stretches as tall as the ceiling. Huge arched windows and glass doors lead out onto the second-story deck overlooking the swimming pool.

Throughout the first floor are a wet bar, a private horse-themed guest room set up like a hotel with a powder room with a 24-karat gold sink, a bathroom with an underwater design, a big laundry room that doubles as a caterer’s kitchen, a mudroom, and Sandra’s favorite room in the entire house – the main kitchen.

“The reason I built this house was to have this kitchen,” she said.

She found the design in Florida Architecture magazine, and a company in Redding, Pennsylvania helped bring the exact design to life with beautiful hand-carved cabinets. It features Brazilian granite countertops, a hot water pipe over the stove, deep bottom drawers and elegant chandeliers. It was also built kosher, with inspiration from their oldest son, Daniel. It’s separated into two sides, one to prepare meat and one to prepare dairy, and each side has its own dishwasher, oven and trash disposal.

Just off the kitchen is a staircase with enkeboll moldings to match the kitchen’s design and a dining room surrounded by windows with circular hardwood floors and an Italian hand-painted silk light fixture overlooking the pool. There’s also an adjoining family room with a television built into a slate fireplace.

The basement, which Sandra calls “the party zone,” was finished last as she wanted to make it special.

Just down the steps is a full bar with a stained glass design inspired by a Doug Prather print, made by Stained Glass Overlay. There’s a large living room with doors that open to the bottom-floor patio by the pool. Tarps were custom-made for the patio arches to come down so the basement can be opened up in the winter.

Off from the living room is an eight-seat theater room with doors that came from an Asian monastery. Its unique carvings were replicated on the door frame by a local carpenter, Sandra said.

The theater room is sound-proof with a raised floor, curtains that close over the screen and hand-blown glass lights from southern France. Off of the theater room is a wine cellar with LED lights, temperature control and grape-themed wood carvings. Also in the basement are a nanny’s quarters with a bedroom, a full bathroom and laundry room, a workshop, a playroom and a pool cabana. Sandra said the basement has seen many gatherings from Super Bowl parties to Christmas parties to birthday celebrations and fundraisers. She said she’s had up to 150 people in the home for parties.

“This house is great for entertaining,” she said. “It’s such a fun house to live in.”

The house also has a Lutron system that controls all of the lights. The doors throughout the home are what Sandra called “dirtied up,” or given a vintage finish.

On the second floor are five bedrooms, each with their own bathroom. The master bedroom is the size of the four-car garage and the guest room just below. The room is split, with one side a sitting area and a hallway leading to the master bathroom with a huge tub, a walk-in shower, two vanities, high-base molding and a glass arched window over the entryway. Each side of the upstairs has its own balconies overlooking the pool area.

The wrought-iron banisters upstairs were designed as a showpiece by Kentucky Ironworks with s-curves, symbolic for the names of the homeowners. A travertine staircase winds down near the front entryway from the master bedroom.

The home’s details extend to the grounds, where the Archers’ favorite river birch grows heart-shaped leaves, the stone work was hand-chiseled and two gardens grow herbs and tomatoes near the pool. Sandra describes the street as quiet and says Halloween is the most fun time of the year with all of the trick-or-treaters and at Christmastime with a festive light display.

“We have so many memories in this home. But it’s time to move on,” she said. “Somebody will appreciate it.”

This story was originally published October 16, 2016 at 6:00 AM with the headline "French elegant home in Hartland dazzles with sophistication."